The present invention claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. P2002-041939 filed in Korea on Jul. 18, 2002, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic electroluminescent display device, and more particularly, to a dual panel-type organic electroluminescent display device.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Among flat panel displays, liquid crystal display (LCD) devices have been commonly used due to their thin profile, light weight, and low power consumption. However, the LCD devices are not self-luminescent and suffer from low brightness, low contrast ratios, narrow viewing angles, and large overall sizes.
Organic electroluminescent display (OELD) devices have wide viewing angles and excellent contrast ratios because of their self-luminescence. In addition, since the OELD devices do not require additional light sources, such as a backlight, the OELD devices have relatively small sizes, are light weight, and have low power consumption, as compared the LCD devices. Furthermore, the OELD devices can be driven by low voltage direct current (DC) and have short microsecond response times. Since the OELD devices are solid state devices, the OELD devices sufficiently withstand external impact and have greater operational temperature ranges. In addition, the OELD devices may be manufactured at low cost since only deposition and encapsulation apparatus are necessary for manufacturing the OELD devices, thereby simplifying manufacturing processes.
The OELD devices are commonly categorized as top emission-type and bottom emission-type according to a direction of the emitted light. Furthermore, the OELD devices may be categorized as one of passive matrix-type OELD devices and active matrix-type OELD devices depending upon methods of driving the devices. The passive matrix-type OELD devices are commonly used because of their simplicity and ease of fabrication. However, the passive matrix-type OELD devices have scanning lines and signal lines that perpendicularly cross each other in a matrix configuration. Since a scanning voltage is sequentially supplied to the scanning lines to operate each pixel, an instantaneous brightness of each pixel during a selection period should reach a value resulting from multiplying an average brightness by the number of the scanning lines to obtain a required average brightness. Accordingly, as the number of the scanning lines increases, the applied voltage and current also increase. Thus, the passive matrix-type OELD devices are not adequate for high resolution display and large-sized displays since the devices easily deteriorate during use, and power consumption is high.
Since the passive matrix-type OELD devices have many disadvantages with regard to image resolution, power consumption, and operational lifetime, the active matrix-type OELD device have been developed to produce high image resolution in large area displays. In the active matrix-type OELD devices, thin film transistors (TFTs) are disposed at each sub-pixel to function as a switching element to turn each sub-pixel ON and OFF. Accordingly, a first electrode connected to the TFT is turned ON/OFF by the sub-pixel, and a second electrode facing the first electrode functions as a common electrode. In addition, a voltage supplied to the pixel is stored in a storage capacitor, thereby maintaining the voltage and driving the device until a voltage of next frame is supplied, regardless of the number of the scanning lines. As a result, since an equivalent brightness is obtained with a low applied current, an active matrix-type OELD device has low power consumption and high image resolution over a large area.
FIG. 1 is a schematic circuit diagram of a pixel structure of an active matrix-type OELD device according to the related art. In FIG. 1, a scanning line 1 is arranged along a first direction, and a signal line 2 and a power line 3 that are spaced apart from each other are arranged along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The signal line 2 and the power line 3 cross the scanning line 1, thereby defining a pixel area. A switching thin film transistor (TFT) TS, i.e., an addressing element, is connected to the scanning line 1 and the signal line 2, and a storage capacitor CST is connected to the switching TFT TS and the power line 3. A driving thin film transistor (TFT) TD, i.e., a current source element, is connected to the storage capacitor CST and the power line 3, and an organic electroluminescent (EL) diode DEL is connected to the driving TFT TD. When a forward current is supplied to the organic EL diode DEL, an electron and a hole are recombined to generate an electron-hole pair through the P(positive)-N(negative) junction between an anode, which provides the hole, and a cathode, which provides the electron. Since the electron-hole pair has an energy that is lower than the separated electron and hole, an energy difference exists between the recombination and the separated electron-hole pair, whereby light is emitted due to the energy difference.
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a bottom emission-type organic electroluminescent display (OELD) device according to the related art. In FIG. 2, first and second substrates 10 and 30 are bonded together by a seal pattern 40, wherein one pixel region is shown to include red, green, and blue sub-pixel regions. A thin film transistor (TFT) T is formed at each sub-pixel region Psub on an inner surface of the first substrate 10, and a first electrode 12 is connected to the TFT T. An organic electroluminescent layer 14 includes luminescent materials of red, green, and blue and is formed on the TFT T. In addition, the first electrode 12 and a second electrode 16 are formed on the organic electroluminescent layer 14, whereby the first and second electrodes 12 and 16 induce an electric field to the organic electroluminescent layer 14. A desiccant (not shown) is formed in an inner surface of the second substrate 30 to shield an internal portion of the OELD device from external moisture. The desiccant is attached to the second substrate 30 by an adhesive (not shown), such as semi-transparent tape.
In the bottom emission-type OELD device, for example, the first electrode 12 functions as an anode and is made of a transparent conductive material, and the second electrode 16 functions as a cathode and is made of a metallic material of low work function. Accordingly, the organic electroluminescent layer 14 is composed of a hole injection layer 14a, a hole transporting layer 14b, an emission layer 14c, and an electron transporting layer 14d formed over the first electrode 12. The emission layer 14c has a structure where emissive materials of red, green, and blue are alternately disposed at each sub-pixel region Psub.
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a sub-pixel region of a bottom emission-type organic electroluminescent display device according to the related art. In FIG. 3, a TFT T having a semiconductor layer 62, a gate electrode 68, and source and drain electrodes 80 and 82 is formed on a substrate 10. The source electrode 80 of the TFT T is connected to a storage capacitor CST, and the drain electrode 82 is connected to an organic electroluminescent (EL) diode DEL. The storage capacitor CST includes a power electrode 72 and a capacitor electrode 64 that face each other with an insulating layer interposed between the power electrode 72 and the capacitor electrode 64, wherein the capacitor electrode 64 is made of the same material as the semiconductor layer 62. The TFT T and the storage capacitor CST are commonly referred to as array elements A. The organic EL diode DEL includes first and second electrodes 12 and 16 that face each other with an organic EL layer 14 interposed therebetween. The source electrode 80 of the TFT T is connected to the power electrode 72 of the storage capacitor CST, and the drain electrode 82 of the TFT T is connected to the first electrode 12 of the organic EL diode DEL. In addition, the array elements A and the organic EL diode DEL are formed on the same substrate.
FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a fabricating process of an organic electroluminescent display device according to the related art. At step ST1, array elements are formed on a first substrate that include a scanning line, a signal line, a power line, a switching TFT, and a driving TFT. The signal line and the power line cross the scanning line and are spaced apart from each other. The switching TFT is disposed at a cross of the scanning line and the signal line, while the driving TFT is disposed at a cross of the scanning line and the power line.
At step ST2, a first electrode of an organic EL diode is formed over the array elements. The first electrode is connected to the driving TFT of each sub-pixel region.
At step ST3, an organic electroluminescent layer of the organic EL diode is formed on the first electrode. If the first electrode is designed to function as an anode, the organic EL layer can be composed of a hole injection layer, a hole transporting layer, an emission layer, and an electron transporting layer.
At step ST4, a second electrode of the EL diode is formed on the organic EL layer. The second electrode is formed over an entire surface of the first substrate to function as a common electrode.
At step ST5, the first substrate is encapsulated with a second substrate. The second substrate protects the first substrate from external impact and prevents damage to the organic EL layer from any ambient air. A desiccant may be included in an inner surface of the second substrate.
The OELD device is fabricated through encapsulating the first substrate including the array elements and the organic EL diode with the second substrate. In addition, a yield of the active matrix OELD device depends on individual yields of the thin film transistor and the organic layer. Although the thin film transistor may adequately function, the yield of the active matrix OELD device varies due to the incorporation of impurities during the process of forming the organic layer to a thickness of about 1,000 xc3x85. Accordingly, the yield of the active matrix OELD is reduced because of the impurities, and results in a loss of manufacturing costs and source materials.
In addition, the active matrix OELD device is a bottom emission-type device having high stability and variable degrees of freedom during the fabrication process, but has a reduced aperture ratio. Thus, the bottom emission-type active matrix OELD device is problematic in implementation as a high aperture device. On the other hand, a top emission-type active matrix OELD has a high aperture ratio, and is easily fabricated. However, in the top emission-type active matrix OELD device, a choice of a material for the cathode electrode is limited since a cathode electrode is generally disposed over the organic layer. Accordingly, light transmittance is limited, and a luminous efficacy is reduced. Furthermore, in order to improve the transmittance, since a passivation layer should be formed in a thin film, air infiltration is not sufficiently prevented.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a dual panel-type organic electroluminescent device that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a dual panel-type organic electroluminescent display device having improved productivity.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a dual panel-type organic electroluminescent display device having high resolution and high aperture ratio due to top emission.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a dual panel-type organic electroluminescent display device that prevents undesirable short between elements.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, a dual panel-type organic electroluminescent display device includes a first substrate and a second substrate bonded together to include a plurality of sub-pixel regions, a first electrode on an inner surface of the second substrate, an insulating pattern on the first electrode along a border portion between adjacent sub-pixel regions, a plurality of partition walls on the insulating pattern, a plurality of organic electroluminescent layers, each within one of the sub-pixel regions between adjacent partition walls, a second electrode on the organic electroluminescent layer, a plurality of thin film transistors on an inner surface of the first substrate each within one of the sub-pixel regions, and including a semiconductor layer, a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode, a passivation layer covering the thin film transistors and including a contact hole exposing the drain electrode, and a plurality of connection patterns on the passivation layer, each including a first pattern and a second pattern, wherein the first pattern corresponds to the second electrode and has a height larger than a height of the partition walls and the second pattern covers the first pattern and is connected to the drain electrode and the second electrode.
In another aspect, a dual panel-type organic electroluminescent display device includes a first substrate and a second substrate bonded together having a plurality of sub-pixel regions, a first electrode on an inner surface of the second substrate, an insulating pattern on the first electrode along a border portion between adjacent sub-pixel regions, a plurality of partition walls on the insulating pattern, a plurality of organic electroluminescent layers, each at one of sub-pixel regions between adjacent partition walls, a second electrode on the organic electroluminescent layer, a semiconductor layer on an inner surface of the first substrate in the sub-pixel regions, and including an active region, a source region, and a drain region, a gate insulating layer on the active region of the semiconductor layer, a gate electrode on the gate insulating layer, a passivation layer covering the gate electrode and including a first contact hole exposing a portion of the source region and a second contact hole exposing a portion of the drain region, a plurality of first patterns on the passivation layer, each of the first patterns corresponding to the second electrode and having a height greater than a height of the partition walls, a source electrode on the passivation layer and connected to the source region through the first contact hole, a drain electrode on the passivation layer and connected to the drain region
through the second contact hole, and a second pattern covering the first pattern, the second pattern contacting the drain electrode and the second electrode, wherein the semiconductor layer, the gate electrode, the source electrode, and the drain electrode constitute a thin film transistor, and the first pattern and the second pattern constitute a connection pattern.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.